


Day 1823

by Cartoonygirl



Category: Final Space (Cartoon)
Genre: Do you, Multi, and how about those groundhog day loops, do you see where im going with this, so... how about those temporal worms, time shenanigans/ghd, trying to make this as fluff/comedy as possible, working on the ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-17 12:46:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14189268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cartoonygirl/pseuds/Cartoonygirl
Summary: After accidentally going through a temporal worm, Gary finds himself living the same day over and over again.





	1. The Worm

"Good morning, Gary. Day 1823," H.U.E. wakes Gary the same way he always does. By snapping the lights on and leaving Gary to suffer.

"Good morning," Gary grumbles, the sudden light hurting his eyes. He stumbles out of bed, trying to be quiet in case Avocato and Quinn are still asleep. They've been woken up by Gary's loud complaining multiple times, and basically begged him to shut up and let them sleep.

After  _quietly_ making his breakfast, and _quietly_ heading out of the kitchen, he sees Avocato and Quinn already sitting in the commissary and eating. "Typical," he mutters.

"Morning, Gary," Avocato says, checking the news feeds for any information on Little Cato. He sighs and shuts it down, seeing nothing new about his son.

"Mornin'," Gary says, taking a seat at the table. The group eats in silence for a few minutes, and Gary isn't going to risk making his friends angry by disrupting it.

There's a loud crash outside that disrupts it instead.

"What was that?" Gary asks, standing. "Wait. Where's Mooncake?" He rushes out of the room, followed by Avocato and Quinn. 

In the hallway, Mooncake is floating over a SAME that's lying on the floor. "Whoa! What happened here?" Gary crosses over to Mooncake, who is shooting daggers at the incapacitated SAME.

"Chookity pop! Chookity!" Mooncake spins in the air a few times. "Choooookity!"

"Uh... I'm honestly not sure what I was expecting there." Gary gently grabs Mooncake. "Come on, Mooncake. Breakfast."

"Chookity! Chookity!" Mooncake attempts to pull himself away from Gary's grasp.

"Mooncake!" Gary shouts. "Calm down." He turns Mooncake, forcing the alien to look into his eyes. "What's going on?"

"He can't explain anything," Avocato says. "Not that we can understand, anyways."

"Try charades," Quinn says, looking at Mooncake. Gary gently lets go to let Mooncake act out the scenario. 

Mooncake begins by hopping a few feet higher, making a "pop" as he does. 

"Popcorn?" Gary guesses. "Trampoline? Jump rope?"

"Getting out of bed?" Quinn asks.

Mooncake repeats the motion, with a more shocked expression on his face.

"Being... shot at?" Avocato guesses. Mooncake nods. "By the SAME?" Mooncake nods again.

"Do you think the system's been corrupted again?" Gary asks. Mooncake looks unsure at this. "H.U.E., is everything okay?" 

"Everything is fine, Gary. Nobody has hacked the network." H.U.E. sounds just as confused. 

"It could just be the one SAME acting up," Quinn says. She picks up the body and in one swift motion, twists its head off. Gary, Avocato, and Mooncake all look shocked. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Avocato asks, incredulous. 

"Checking its data," Quinn says, pulling out the SAME's memory chip. "What do you _think_ I'm doing?" She studies the chip for a second. "H.U.E., where can I plug this in to see what's on it?" A quiet moment passes. "H.U.E.?"

"This is starting to turn into a horror movie," Gary says. "H.U.E.'s gone, and come to think of it, I haven't seen KVN at all. Or any other SAMES."

"Me either," Avocato adds. "Something's up."

The Galaxy One suddenly tilts, sending Gary, Avocato, and Quinn into the wall. Which is now the floor. "Something is  _definitely_ up!" Gary exclaims, walking across the wall.

"There aren't any alarms," Quinn mutters, following behind Gary.

"Maybe we _were_ hacked," Avocato says.

"Uh, guys?" Gary is looking out the window. "Is that what I think it is?" Outside the window, a star is burning. And the Galaxy One is making a beeline towards it. Quinn runs, headed back to the commissary. 

"I'm going to manually pilot the ship!" She shouts. 

"Are you crazy?" Avocato screams, racing after her. The group enters the commissary, where Quinn grabs the controls (which are now on the wall) and turns the ship away from the star. 

"We won't get away fast enough! We need to slow down!" Avocato grabs the brakes. Gary watches the windows.

"We're heading straight for a temporal worm!" He yells. "Turn more!"

"I'm trying!" Quinn says, trying to turn the ship in a complete 180. The strain breaks the controls completely out, sending exposed wires everywhere. Quinn steps away from the wall. Gary shouts as a spark hits his arm.

"This is bad!" Gary screams. The temporal worm is getting closer.

"We'll have to go through it!" Avocato says, leaving the brakes. The ship accelerates into the temporal worm.

The world goes blindingly bright, and then into total darkness.


	2. Repetition

"Good morning, Gary. Day 1823," H.U.E. says, turning the lights on. 

"What?" Gary sits up in bed, shocked. Two seconds ago he was going through a wormhole, and now it's... "H.U.E., that was yesterday."

"Nice try. But you're wrong." 

"I'm pretty sure I'm not. We got hacked? And went through a wormhole?" He wonders if this is jogging H.U.E.'s memory at all. 

"No. You must have been dreaming."

"Okay..." Gary says. "I'll bite. Day 1823."

"Exactly," H.U.E. says, pleased.

Gary makes his breakfast and heads to the commissary. Quinn and Avocato are sitting there, just like yes... in the dream. Avocato is checking the news feeds again.

"Morning, Gary," he says, shutting off the feeds with a sigh.

"Good... morning," Gary says. It's like an entire day of deja vu. "So... _Did_ we get hacked yesterday?" Quinn and Avocato give him a weird look.

"What are you talking about?" Quinn asks. "No."

"Are you feeling okay?" Avocato asks, noticing the strange expression on Gary's face.

Is he feeling okay? Maybe it was just a nightmare. But it's over now. He should get on with his life, and-

There's a crash in the hall.

"Mooncake!" Gary exclaims, racing outside. Mooncake is in the same position, floating over the broken SAME. "What... happened?"

"Chookity pop! Chookity!" He spins. "Choooookity!"

"The SAME attacked you?" Gary asks, deciding to save time. Mooncake nods. Quinn and Avocato stare at Gary, shocked. "What?" Gary asks, a second before he realizes there's no way he should have known that.

"You can understand him?" Avocato asks. 

"Uh. Lucky guess," Gary replies.

"Pretty damn lucky," Quinn says, looking down at the SAME. "Why would a SAME attack Mooncake?"

"Maybe we got hacked. H.U.E.?" Gary looks to the ceiling. No reply, again. "H.U.E.'s offline."

"This is weird," Avocato mutters, deep in thought. 

The ship tilts to the side. Gary suddenly remembers that they're about to be slammed into a huge, burning star. But if he can get to the commissary in time... They could avoid the star  _and_ the temporal worm.

"What's going on?" Quinn shouts, as Gary starts booking it across the wall towards the commissary.

"Look! Star!" He yells, grabbing the controls and turning the ship.

"We need to slow down!" Gary and Avocato yell at the same time. Avocato grabs the brakes.

"Temporal worm!" Quinn shouts, staring out the window. Gary pulls the controls harder- and they snap off the wall.  _Shit_ , he thinks.  _I forgot about that_. "We're not going to get away from it!" 

Avocato lets go of the brakes. 

The worm swallows the Galaxy One whole.


	3. Second Chance

Gary wakes up on his own this time.

"You're up early," H.U.E. comments, and he almost sounds surprised. "This is a first. Day 1823."

"What time is it?" Gary asks. 

"Three am."

"What time do you usually wake me?"

"Six am." Gary knows what this means. He can stop the star-and-temporal-worm disaster before it happens. 

"H.U.E., I'm going down to the control room," Gary says. "I think we were hacked."

"We were not hacked, Gary," H.U.E. says. 

"I know, but I just... had a nightmare. It would make me feel better." Gary stops for a second to be proud of his excuse.

"Fair enough," H.U.E. replies, and the door to Gary's room slides open.

* * *

 

"Okay, wires... wires... more wires..." Gary is searching the Galaxy One's controls. He checked H.U.E.'s and the SAMES' already, with no worrying results. He even checked _KVN's_ , for god's sake. But there was nothing wrong, so it must have been the whole ship.

 _There's nothing wrong here either,_ he thinks. A flash catches his eye.

"Bingo!" A small, unfamiliar flashdrive was installed in the Galaxy One's control panel, and now it's in Gary's hand. "Goodbye, you piece of shit." He drops it on the ground and stomps it with his boot. 

There's nothing left but shards now. 

"Alright. I'm going back to sleep," Gary says. 

"It is four in the morning," H.U.E. says. 

"Do you think I care?" Gary says, going up a floor. "I'm tired."

* * *

 

"Good morning, Gary. Day 1823." Gary hadn't fallen back asleep, annoyingly. He'd just sat there in the dark.

He'd heard Quinn and Avocato pass his room on their way to the commissary a few minutes earlier. They hadn't been discussing juicy gossip or anything like that, to Gary's disappointment. They were completely silent.

Infuriating.

He sits down at the table with his breakfast. 

"Morning, Gary," Avocato says, closing the news feeds with a disappointed sigh.

"Good morning!" Gary doesn't mean to sound so cheerful, but god, he really is. After today, everything will go back to normal, because tomorrow will be tomorrow, and today will be yesterday. He's only lived this day twice and he's already tired of it. 

"You sound happy," Quinn comments, looking at Gary suspiciously.

"Why are you giving me that look? Can I not _be_ happy?" Gary says.

"You can be happy all you want," Quinn says, shrugging. "I'm going to check out where we're headed."

She gets up and leaves. Gary would almost frown, because that hasn't happened- then he remembers the loud crash he should have heard as Mooncake comes floating into the room, giving Gary an affection face squish.

"Good morning, Mooncake," Gary says.

"Gary. Satellites. Fixing." H.U.E. sometimes decides to shorten his demands. Gary sighs, grabbing his helmet and tools. 

"I'll be back soon," Gary says to a not-listening Avocado. Gary sees him trying to hack into the Lord Commander's database again. Gary leaves, followed by Mooncake.

Space is quiet, as Gary has come to realize. He's become used to humming to himself as he works, but today it doesn't feel right. There's still a sneaking feeling of dread in his stomach, as though there's something wrong. Which there is, because there's the issue of who planted the flash drive. It could have been Infinity Guard, but they would have had to get on the ship.

Which makes it somebody on the ship. 

Ruling out himself and Mooncake for obvious reasons leaves H.U.E., KVN, the SAMES, and... well. He doesn't want to think that Quinn or Avocato would betray them, and they both did seem shocked by the ship's suicidal instincts, but there's really no other possible culprits onboard. 

Gary won't say anything to them. The whole thing is over, and they won't even know it ever happened, because technically, it didn't.

This time stuff is messing with his head.

* * *

 

Back on the ship, Quinn is sipping a cup of coffee (with two sugars and cream, Gary's learned her order since he's the only one who can figure out the coffee machine), and Avocato is searching around online for any leads about the Infinity Guard or the Lord Commander. 

It's weird to see the day going normally, especially since just yester-today, disaster had struck about two hours ago.

Gary shrugs it off. What's wrong with a quiet day, anyways?


	4. Something Fishy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for all your nice comments!!!!

"Good morning, Gary. Day 1823."

" _What?!"_ Gary practically falls out of bed. "H.U.E., you're glitching. That was yesterday."

"No. It wasn't," H.U.E. says. 

"You've got to be kidding me," Gary sighs. "Was I up earlier this morning?"

"Yes. You went down to the control room," H.U.E. says, thinking that Gary's memory is fading. He should check that out.

"Great," Gary says. That's one problem solved.

Avocato and Quinn are already in the commissary, as usual. 

"Morning, Gary," Avocato says, shutting off the news feeds and sighing.

"Good morning." Gary swishes his food around sadly. He's stuck in some sort of time loop, that much is clear. It's like an old movie his dad had shown him, about a guy living this weird holiday again and again. It was supposedly a "classic," but Gary thought it sucked. Either way, it was like that.

"You okay?" Quinn asks. 

"No," Gary says. He provides no further comment after that.

"...Ooookay." Quinn doesn't push. She just leaves. After a second, she pokes her head back in. "Can you work the coffee machine for me?" With a depressed sigh, Gary stands and follows her to the kitchen.

"Two sugars and cream?" He asks, already know he's right. Quinn nods. He presses the coffee machine button. He honestly doesn't understand why everybody finds it so hard.

"Here's your coffee." He hands the cup to Quinn. 

"Thanks." She takes a long sip. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Gary replies.

"Gary, come to the sick bay for a minute," H.U.E. says. 

"What?" Gary says, at the same time Quinn says, "Why?"

"I believe your memory is failing due to stress. Please come to the sick bay," H.U.E. opts for a more polite  _please_.

"My memory is fine," Gary says. "But if _that's_ what makes you happy."

* * *

 

"Now, Gary," H.U.E. begins. Gary is seated in the dark sick bay, sitting on a bed. Mooncake watches from the window, since H.U.E. wouldn't allow him to come inside with Gary. "What is my name?"

"H.U.E., I know your name."

"Very good. What is the name of this ship?"

"The Galaxy One," Gary says, wondering if this is  _actually_ the test. This stuff is easy!

"What is your mother's maiden name?" This question catches Gary off guard.

"Uh. Well. It's. Hold on a second."

"Stein."

"Yes! I was getting to that."

"What is your middle name?"

"Ha! Don't have one. Nice try."

"It's Gregory. I have your birth certificate to prove it."

"Wait, _what?_ Nobody ever told me I had a middle name!"

"You do. Final question, what color shirt are you wearing?"

"Red. It's red. Right?"

"You passed," H.U.E. says. "Barely. Is there something you'd like to talk about?" H.U.E. was also testing Gary's train of thought, and it seems like there's something on his mind.

"Well... What do you know about time loops?" Gary asks, laying down on the bed. It sinks slightly under his weight. 

"Time loops are a pocket in time that infinitely repeats itself. Why?" H.U.E. replies, already knowing where this is going.

"I think... I'm stuck in one? The most I've broken out of it was to get rid of that flash drive," Gary explains. 

"Have you been through a temporal worm recently?" 

"Yeah, actually. The first time I lived this day. And then the second time. But not this time."

"Were in contact with electricity less than a minute before entering the worm?" Gary thinks about this for a second. He searches his brain for anything that might have happened... 

"A spark!" He exclaims, sitting back up. "I got hit by a spark!"

"Ah. I see," H.U.E. says. Gary's stomach twists. 

"So can I get out of it?" He asks.

"I'm searching..." H.U.E. pauses. Gary waits in nervous anticipation. "You may be able to if you can get through another worm while in contact with electricity."

"Good," Gary breathes a sigh of relief. "I can find the same worm."

"No, Gary," H.U.E. says.

"What? Why not?" Gary asks, worry filling his head again.

"The worm only stays for three loops. You'll need to find another one."

"Another freaking temporal worm? H.U.E., are you kidding me?"

"If you wait, one will come for you. They usually do."

"After how many more loops?"

"Hard to say. Somewhere between one and a thousand."

"I could be stuck here," Gary gasps. "For  _one thousand days_ _?"_

"Yes," H.U.E. says. "You could also be stuck here for one." Gary groans, flopping back onto the bed. He flips over, his face buried in the pillow, and screams. H.U.E. can't hear much, but it doesn't sound pretty.

"It'll be alright," H.U.E. says. "One thousand days will pass before you know it."

Gary stops screaming.

"If I'm going to be spending possibly one thousand days here," he says slowly. "I might as well have some fun."


	5. Whatever the Hell You Want

"Good morning, Gary. Day 1823."

Gary gets up without complaint. Everything he does will have no consequences whatsoever, and he's not going to waste that. He's going to figure out _everything_ he can about her.

And then he's going to make Quinn Airgone fall in love with him.

"Good morning, Quinn," Gary says, striding into the commissary with confidence. 

"Good... morning?" Quinn says, looking up. Avocato sighs and shuts the news feeds off. 

"What about me?" He asks teasingly. 

"Good morning, Avocato," Gary says sarcastically, sitting down across from Quinn. Avocato smiles. He likes to tease Gary, but he has more fun when Gary teases him back. "Quinn, you are looking good today." Quinn stands up quickly, a flash of discomfort crossing her face.

"So. Coffee." She leaves the room, not bothering to ask Gary for help. All he does is press a goddamn button, she can figure out how to work the coffee machine herself.

"Hmm. Something up with Quinn today?" Gary asks, turing to face Avocato, who stifles a laugh. 

"Something up with  _you_." With that, he leaves Gary alone with his breakfast. Mooncake floats in past Avocato, giving Gary a face squish. 

"You don't think I'm weird, do you, Mooncake?" Gary asks. The alien hesitates for just a second. "Oh, seriously?!"

* * *

 

"Gary's acting weird, right? It's not just me?" Quinn says to Avocato, pressing various buttons on the coffee machine frustratedly.  _This one adds cream_ , she thinks.  _I'm sure of it_. But no cream comes out. She growls.

"It's not just you," Avocato confirms, pressing the button labeled _cream_ for her.

"He's just such a creep sometimes," she says. Avocato prepares for some serious venting. He's got some of his own, honestly. "I try my best to let him know I'm not interested, but he just keeps being so... Gary!" She slams her fist on the table, sending the coffee cup flying up in the air. "Sorry."

"Hey, I get you," Avocato says, leaning against the counter.

"You do?" Quinn asks. "Romantic problems with Gary?" Her smile lets Avocato know she's teasing, but he'd never tell her how close she is to the truth. Why is Gary so into Quinn, anyways?

It's not that he dislikes her. It's that he likes Gary.

"You could say that," he finally replies. Quinn stops, looking at him with the smile gone from her face.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Oh, I just had a great idea," she smiles.

"What is it?" Avocato is ready for the suggestion of murdering Gary.

"If we can get Gary to like you..." Avocato's eyes widen.

" _No_."

"He'll stop liking me!" Quinn exclaims. "This is- perfect!"

"Quinn. Absolutely not," Avocato tries to sound stern, but the possibility of actually being with Gary is tempting. 

"Come on. Give him a chance," Quinn argues.

"I should say the same to you!" Avocato exclaims.

"I did. Five years ago. Come on," She grabs Avocato and drags him back towards the commissary, her unmade coffee forgotten. The mug sits sadly under the machine. "I'm about to play matchmaker."

* * *

 

"Gary," Quinn begins as she enters the commissary. Gary looks up. She's pulling a clearly not-into-this Avocato by the wrist. "Avocato." She shoves him unceremoniously into the seat across from Gary.

"Quinn, we've met," Gary says, noticing a slight blush on Avocato's cheeks. "In fact, I introduced him to you."

"As friends," Quinn says, starting to sound like a game show host. "But have you considered that you could be... more?" 

"No," Gary says. "Not really... but now that you mention it..." He does like Avocato. As a friend. And he really  _hasn't_ considered  _it_.

But, hey, what the hell. Everything will be reset tomorrow. 

"I kind of do. Like him." And when he says it, it feels right. Weirdly. He has the sudden realization that he _may_ also be into guys. Actually. Avocato blushes harder. Gary's never seen him so flustered, and it kind of makes him happy.

He decides on a new goal.

Find a temporal worm. Then, start dating Avocato.


	6. Obligatory Love Triangle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S IMPORTANT TO THE PLOT, OK?

"Good morning, Gary. Day 1823."

For the first time in a while, Gary's actually happy about being awake.

"Good morning!" Gary says, practically skipping into the commissary. Quinn swears he's glowing. Avocato closes the news feeds, watching Gary with a half-concerned, half-lovesick look. Gary's not sure how he didn't notice the crush sooner.

"Good morning," Avocato says. "You're awfully chipper."

"So?" Gary sits down, beaming. Avocato moves closer to being fully concerned.

"So, you usually hate being up this early," Quinn says, giving Gary one of her  _looks_. 

 _She's onto me_ , Gary thinks. In reality, Quinn is pretty sure that Gary got access to either alcohol or weed, but he doesn't know that. "As long as you're so happy," she says, standing. "Coffee?"

"Sure thing." Gary stands and follows Quinn outside, and once the door is closed, she begins the interrogation. 

"What's got you so happy?" She asks as Gary begins to make the coffee.  _Two sugars and cream_ , he thinks, the recipe still in his head. 

"Can I tell you something, Quinn?" He asks, turning away from the machine. 

"Uh, sure." She's not sure what she's about to hear, but she's sure it's something bad.

"I'm in love!" He smiles, sinking onto the counter with his face cupped in his hands.

"Oh god." Quinn realizes she said that out loud and bites back an apology. She's told him _numerous_ times, she isn't interested. 

"With Avocato." She does a double take.  _That_ was a curveball.

"Wow," she says, grabbing the now-finished coffee off the machine. "Good for you." She doesn't _like_ Gary, she tells herself. But if that's true, then why does she feel so... _jealous_ of Avocato?

Gary is too in love to notice. He still likes Quinn, he's realized, and that's a problem. But with that attitude, liking Avocato is a problem. And the temporal worm is an issue. Everything here is a goddamn issue.

Back in the commissary, Avocato is wondering what the hell is taking so long. He's not willing to admit his crush on Gary, but he feels jealous of Quinn. She doesn't even like Gary! It bothers him. Just a little bit.

And Gary is  _still_ too in love to notice this.

* * *

 

"H.U.E., weird and random question, but are there any temporal worms nearby?" Gary asks, sitting on a table in the commissary. His legs swing over the edge, just barely brushing the floor. Mooncake floats over his shoulder.

"For the seventh time, no, Gary." H.U.E. sounds tired, or at least, he would if he had emotions.

"Why?" Gary groans.

"I don't know, Gary. Why don't you ask the temporal worms? Oh, wait. There aren't any." Gary scowls at the ceiling. 

"You are so  _nice_ , you know that?" He says sarcastically. H.U.E. doesn't reply. Gary thinks he insulted him.

Avocato walks in through one door, and Quinn comes in from the other. They've both done some thinking, and they've both decided _this_ moment is the perfect time to confess.

"I need to talk to you," they say to Gary at the same time. They look up, surprised to see the other one there.

"I asked first," Avocato says.

"No you didn't!" Quinn exclaims.

"Well, I'm just going to grab Gary real quick-"

"No! I have something important to talk to him about."

"What is it?"

"I- can't tell you!"

"So it's not  _that_ important."

"Yes it is! What do you have to tell him?"

"Something important."

"Me too!"

"Guys!" Gary hops off the table, standing between his two arguing companions. "Just... tell me at the same time." Avocato and Quinn both take a deep breath in preparation.

"I'm in love with you." Every single person in the room does a double take. Even H.U.E. and Mooncake. There's a long, awkward pause.

"...Holy shit," is all Gary can manage. The entire atmosphere goes from awkward to _incredibly_ awkward.

"So... Which one do you choose?" Quinn asks, a slight of edge of hope to her voice.

"Uh. Well. So. Here's the thing. I. Uh." Gary can't form a coherent sentence. "Give me a day to think on it?" Avocato and Quinn share a _look_.

"Okay," Avocato says. "That's reasonable." 

Gary breathes a sigh of relief. He can start this over tomorrow. Today. 

 


	7. Things Change

"Good morning, Gary. Day 1823." H.U.E. snaps on the lights. 

"Morning, H.U.E.," Gary sighs. He hadn't fallen asleep until late last night, worrying about this whole love triangle fiasco, and he guesses that carries over to the next today. In case this suffering was already miserable enough.

Gary enters the commissary with bags under his eyes and a frown on his face.

"Morning, Gary," Avocato says. With a sigh, he closes the news feeds. "Whoa, you look terrible."

"Couldn't sleep," Gary says miserably. Everything is just so miserable. 

"Maybe coffee could help. Speaking of..." Quinn stands. Gary follows, moping. 

"Two creams and a sugar," he says, entering it into the coffee machine. 

"No, two sugars and cream." Quinn frowns. Gary blinks. He's  _never_ forgotten Quinn's order before. **_Ever_**. Maybe H.U.E. was right about the memory loss. He's going to lose it if he lives this day one more time.

"I'll be right back," Gary says, rushing out of the room past Mooncake. The alien looks back at him confusedly, then to Quinn for help. 

"I don't know, Mooncake," she says. "I don't think he slept." She can't help but pity him. He's usually so energetic. 

"What's up with Gary?" Avocato asks, entering the kitchen. Quinn shrugs, at a loss.

"He says he didn't sleep well," she explains, grabbing the empty coffee mug. "Guess I'll have to go without coffee."

"Hmm," Avocato says, thinking. "Hmmm."

"What?" Quinn asks.

"Nothing." Avocato shakes his head. "Deja vu."

* * *

 

"Gary, why are you crying?" H.U.E. asks. Gary has his face shoved into a pillow, which is now covered in tear stains. 

"I'm going insane here!" Gary cries, his voice muffled. "Please tell me there's a temporal worm nearby."

"Sorry, no worms here. Why do you need one?" H.U.E. asks, sensing something wrong.

"It doesn't matter," Gary says gloomily. "I'll just wait for  _death_."

"Stop being so emo," Avocato says from the doorway. 

"Why are you in my room?" Gary says, not bothering to look up from his pillow. If he had, he would have seen Quinn in the doorway as well. But he doesn't look up, so he doesn't.

"Come with us," Quinn says, giving Gary's arm a shove. Gary groans, but he stands anyways. 

Quinn and Avocato lead him to the commissary, where they sit him down on a bench. Avocato hands him a mug. 

"Is this hot cocoa?" Gary asks. "H.U.E., you never told me there was hot cocoa on this ship."

"You never asked," H.U.E. says. 

"Bleh." Gary sticks his tongue out at the ceiling. "Why the hot cocoa?" Quinn says nothing, just sticks the back of her hand to his forehead. 

"Yeah, I think he's sick," she says to Avocato.

"I _told_ you," Avocato says smugly.

"I'm not sick!" Gary protests as Quinn gives him a blanket.

"Actually, your temperature readings are higher than usual," H.U.E. chimes in.

"I'm not sick! That doesn't happen today!" Gary argues, his head clouded from the confusion.

"You're sick," Avocato says. "And now you're rambling. Drink your cocoa." Gary does, but only because it smells really, really good. It also tastes really good. Now he's just mad at H.U.E. for never telling him.

"The captain doesn't get sick," Gary mumbles, placing the mug on the table and wrapping himself up in the blanket. "And why is it so cold?"

"Gary. You're sick." Quinn isn't sure how much more obvious this can get, but Gary is clearly ignoring all the signs.

"No. I'm not sick." Gary yawns. "I'm tired. So I'm going to take a nap. But I'm  _not sick!"_  Avocato gives him a sympathetic smile. 

"Shush. Sleep," he says. 

Within minutes, Gary is out. Avocato and Quinn smile. 

"Should I take a picture for blackmail?" Quinn jokes.

"No," Avocato says. "Let him sleep."


	8. Collision Course

"Good morning, Gary. Day-" A pillow flies through H.U.E.'s hologram, disrupting the image and H.U.E.'s message. "Somebody's in a bad mood."

"I need a temporal worm!" Gary yells. "Now! Before I lose my freaking mind!"

"You're in luck," H.U.E. says.

"I am?" Gary asks excitedly, sitting up in bed. 

"Yes. There's a temporal worm about an hour away." Gary has never heard better news in his life. Finally, the nightmare is over.

"H.U.E., set a course for that worm!"

* * *

 

"Why the hell are we going towards a temporal worm?" Quinn asks, as Gary enters the commissary.

"You want to know the truth? I've been living this day over and over for like, a week. We are going through that temporal worm. It can fix everything!" Gary explains angrily. Quinn and Avocato are stunned into silence.

"Gary," Avocato says slowly. "You are  _delusional_."

"No, I'm not!" Gary cries, slamming his fists down on the table. Mooncake jumps. "Sorry, Mooncake."

"We don't know where that worm could take us," Quinn argues. "We could end up one hundred years in the future! Or the past! Think for a minute!"

"I  _did_ think, and this is the solution!" Gary exclaims, upset by Quinn's lack of understanding. "Just trust me."

"I  _don't_ trust you, Gary." The words sting. Avocado cringes at the display. "At least, I don't trust you to be responsible." Gary is near tears now, furious and frustrated tears. 

"Well, I'm the captain!" Gary screams. "If you don't like the plan, get off the ship!"

" _Fine!"_

"Fine!" 

Quinn stands, her expression ice. Gary doesn't back down, staring her in the eye. 

"I'm taking the escape pod," Quinn says. "I'll figure this out _on my own_." She storms out. 

Once the door closes, Gary melts into a pile of tears and screaming. 

"Crap! I just- She- Fuck," Gary sobs. "I'm not lying," he sniffles. "I really am stuck here." His voice is quiet. Avocato gives him a reassuring look.

"Gary, we will reach the temporal worm in less than a half hour," H.U.E. announces. Gary's head snaps up. 

"I can still fix this," he whispers. "I can still fix this! H.U.E., stay away from that worm!"

"What? You just sent Quinn away for that thing!" Avocato cries. "Gary, what's going on?"

"I-I'll tell you tomorrow," he promises. 

But he knows full well there is tomorrow.

And for the first time, he's glad.


	9. A Shocking End

"Good morning, Gary. Day 1823." Gary smiles. 

"Yes. Yes! It worked!" He cheers, laughing with relief and joy. "Thank you, world!"

H.U.E. wonders what's gotten into Gary.

Gary doesn't care.

* * *

 

He practically twirls into the commissary. 

"Quinn! Quinn, it is so good to see you," Gary says, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She punches him in the face. "Yeah, I deserved that."

"What about me?" Avocato jokes. Gary gives him a small peck too, and Avocato blushes. 

"Okay, what the hell kind of drugs are you on?" Quinn demands. 

"The drug of love!" Gary singsongs, smiling like a kid in a candy store. He can't help it. He's just so goddamn overwhelmed with good emotions. Relief. Happiness. Excitement. Love.

"Oh my god. H.U.E.?" Quinn looks to the ceiling for help. 

"No drugs," H.U.E. confirms. "Just Gary." Quinn scowls, but doesn't question the AI's judgement. She sits down, stewing in anger. It's hard for her not to be happy, though. Gary's joy is infectious. 

"Just Gary," she repeats, laughing to herself. Gary is rambling on about something to an attentive Avocato. Quinn hasn't seen the two of them so happy since she met them.  _She_ hasn't felt so happy since she met them. "So," she starts, "why _are_ you so happy?"

"Because," Gary says. "Tomorrow is tomorrow and yesterday wasn't today." 

"What?" Avocato laughs. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It will," Gary says, smiling, "tomorrow."

"Alert," H.U.E. says, disrupting the room's energy. "Approaching a temporal worm."

"What?" Quinn cries. She looks out the window, dismayed. "We need to turn around!"

"On it!" Avocato shouts, grabbing the wheel. Gary just watches with a sense of worry. _They could ruin it,_ he thinks,  _and this would all be for nothing_.

"We're going too fast!" Quinn shouts.

"Got it!" Gary yells, grabbing the brake. He only moves it gently, but mimes pulling as hard as he can. Everything is going according to plan.

No, it's not. 

Electricity. He needs electricity. 

The worm is only a few seconds away. Gary panics, and as hard as he can, pulls out an unimportant wire. He shoves the end into his arm without thinking. He screams, immediately regretting the decision.

"GARY!" Quinn and Avocato scream. 

 _There was an easier way to do that_ , Gary thinks. The worm swallows the Galaxy One.

The world goes blindingly bright, and then into total darkness.


	10. Epilogue

"Gary?" The sound is warbled, Quinn's voice echoing around in Gary's head. As he opens his eyes, he can see the fuzzy shapes of three figures, sitting in front of him. Well, one is floating. Gary deduces that that's Mooncake.

"Is he waking up?" It's Avocato's voice this time.

"I think." Quinn again. Gary blinks, adjusting to the harsh light. "Gary?"

"I'm awake," Gary mumbles, sitting up. He's on a sick bay bed, so soft and inviting...

"You idiot!" Quinn's fist hits his shoulder hard. It's painful, but it wakes him up.

"Ow! Quinn!" He shouts, rubbing his arm.

"What were you _thinking?"_  Avocato asks. 

"I fixed it?" Gary asks. "How long was I out?"

"A whole day. Because you  _electrocuted your metal arm,_ " Avocato says. That explains all the pain, then. In the light of day, Gary regrets the decision immensely. "Why would you do something so stupid?"

"It's a long story," Gary says. 

"I'm willing to hear it if it explains  _that._ " Quinn points to Gary's shoulder. There are scars zig-zagging out from where his arm is, and Gary guesses they're from the electrocution. He cringes.

"We went through a temporal worm and I got shocked so then the day was repeating and then I needed to shock myself again and it fixed it," Gary says in a rush. "Well. I guess it's not that long of a story."

"Don't ever do that again," Quinn reprimands. After a pause, she hugs him tightly. Avocato joins. "But I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad too," Gary says.

And he really is.

* * *

 

Nightfall closes her security feed, satisfied.

"Sorry to do that to you," she says to no one. "But I needed to fix things." 

In her hand, she holds the remains of the flash drive. But she doesn't need them anymore.

Everything's back where it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading, and for your comments and kudos!!!!!


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